I'm glad it is you
by LeanneCrescent
Summary: After Chigusa asks her parents if she can meet with friends in Tokyo, the situation escalates. She has to move out!br / Her friend Ryou Misaki finds out about it and picks her up the next day. Through her beloved MMORPG [The World], Chigusa a.k.a. Atoli meets a new girl - Stella. Stella studies game design and her dream is to work in a game company in Japan. But not everyone t
1. Chapter 1

**Chigusa POV**

My family is very strict, there are a lot of things they don't allow me to do like wearing a piercing or different types of clothes. People bullied me cause of that.

I tried to kill my self, several times. My friend, Sakaki, told me about an online game – called [The World]. Shortly after I started to play, I met him – my boyfriend Ryou Misaki the player behind Haseo. It was never easy between us, at first he hated me but he said himself that somewhere along the way I came into his heart and he realized it. There where plenty of times, that I was jealous because of Shino and we had one or two fights because of that.  
For some time now Ryou stopped playing [The World] however, he calls me two or three times a week. My parents don't know anything about him, I guess its better this way. I'm not playing [The World] this much either anymore. I want to get better grades in school, Ryou is helping me though, but my classmates won't make it easy for me.  
I am glad that I met so many friends last year we're also planning a tiny guild meeting in Tokio soon. That reminds me that I have not asked Ryou if he has time for the meeting. I reached for my cell phone, which was on the bedside table, and opened the App Line.

[Good Morning Ryou. I forgot to ask you if you would like to attend the guild meeting next weekend.]

After sending this message I got up, put on my school uniform and gave my birds some food. I brushed my long, black hair and put on my headband. Still one and a half more year in this shitty school, I thought to myself. I went to the kitchen and got some cereal and ate it quickly. I got my keys and walked out the door to walk to school.

**Ryou POV**

I've been smart almost all my life, my family is rich because my dad owns a major company. Although I live on my own in Tokio, in my own apartment. That's quite incorrect, my dad bought this one for me after I told him that I'm moving out. He was okay with that, my mom wasn't at first but now she got used to it. I was playing [The World] for a long time, defeated the Aida and saved my friends. The past events from the last two years where the reason why I asked Reiko Saeki, known as Pi in [The World], to get me a job in NAB. She didn't agree at first but after bugging her she agreed. After I finished Highschool, I'm going to visit a university to study network administration.  
A lot of things happened since I started this online game. I met a girl, she was very annoying at first and not easy to handle but when she wasn't with me I felt lonely. Four month ago I asked her to be my girlfriend. She said yes, of course.  
Speaking of my girlfriend, she sent me a message earlier. I read her message and smiled at the same time.

[Good morning Chigusa, Sure, why not. You're going too, right? Where will the meeting be?]

Of course she will go, our friends from [The World] are meaning everything to her.

She said some days ago, that she met another girl online. I need to ask her about that later, when I call her. I got ready for school, grabbed my key and then made my way to my school. With the subway I reached my destination in less than thirty minutes.

When I arrived at school I went straight into my classroom and sat down in my seat. I don't have many friends here. That's because I can't do much with the other students and I don't care much about them. It's like Chigusa once said: "It's not easy to make friends with you".

The thought of this memory makes me smile again. But she was right about that remark. I am not particularly interested in other people. There are very few people in my life whom I call friends.

I'm not surprised that some people avoid me. In [The World] I was known as the Terror of Death. People were afraid of me, that has subsided, but in the real world I still seem to frighten other students. Even the teachers are a little cautious with me, I can't say exactly if they are afraid or not. The first hours, up to the breakfast break, passed quite fast. When I looked at my mobile phone during the break I noticed that Chigusa has responded.

[It's in Tokio. Silabus said something about Karaoke.]

Great.. I really hate Karaoke. I don't have to sing though. I replied to her message.

[You can sleep in my apartment. I doubt you would want to drive back home at night.]

[I don't know if my parents will let me...]

It's not that Chigusa and I haven't met before, we did a few times. But she never saw my apartment nor stayed over night.

[I won't let you drive home alone at night. It's no big deal, I've got a separate room if that's what bothering you.]

[I talk to my parents then. But to be honest I don't think they'll like the idea of me staying with you a whole weekend.]

I've got a bad feeling about this. Chigusa told me, that she doesn't have a good relationship with her parents. They're very old-fashioned, they force their daughter to live their lives. "What should the neighbours say" or "You run around like a tramp.", that's what they say. Chigusa doesn't have it easy, she never did. Fortunately for her, she is bullied by her classmates at school. The teachers look away. If she went to my school, I could protect her, she wouldn't be alone anymore.  
My cell phone vibrated again. A message from Chigusa, I was so in thoughts that I forgot to answer her.

[Please don't be mad at me, Ryou. I'm verry sorry.]

This again.. silly girl.

**Chigusa POV**

He might be mad. I did it again... I thought to myself.

[Stop apologizing silly. I'm not mad at you. I was just thinking and forgot to answer. I call you after work.]

[Okay. Talk to you then. Love you.]

It's still strange for me to write Ryou those words. It won't be easy to tell my parents that I'll stay in Tokio next weekend.

After the breakfast break I went back to the classroom. On the way there I saw the group of girls who always mobbed me. I may not be as weak as I used to be, but it still hurts.

The three girls are Ahmya, Chiyo and Hina. Ahmya bumped into me and caused me to drop my mobile on the floor.

"Dork face why did you walk into me! Seems like your shabby mobile phone is broken. Serves you right!" Ahmya screamed and pushed me to the side.  
I went back in line and then walked, again, to the classroom. The display on my phone is shattered, but it's still working.  
After school I left and went home.

Of course, my parents are already back from work. Quietly, without saying a word, I go to my room. As always, they don't notice me. I still don't know exactly how to talk to them about the upcoming meeting. I am old enough to decide with whom I meet, other people of my age are allowed to do the same.

At dinner, I'll ask my parents about the subject. But I have absolutely no good feeling about the whole thing. I turned on my computer and did my homework. I didn't feel like [The World] today. After a few hours, my parents called me to dinner. I breathed deeply. Better now than never. I sat down at the table, there was silence as always. Carefully I began the conversation.

"Mummy, Daddy, I want to visit my friends in Tokyo next weekend and spend the night with them..."

Stunned, the two of them looked at me.

"First your bad grades, then your clothes, and now you want to sleep with a boy! What should the neighbours say? How can we explain that our underage child sleeps with a boy and then gets pregnant? We forbid you contact with him and all your friends! You stay here!"; my father screamed. I couldn't say anything because my mother continued.

"There's no point with that brat anyway. No daughter of mine sleeps with a boy like a prostitute! I'm tired of you dishonoring our family and disgracing us! If you absolutely want to go to your friends then stay right there! You are no longer welcome here! Until next week Friday you move out!"

And with this sentence my parents stood up and I tried to realize what was happening.

The next moment I also got up and ran to my room. Again I breathed deeply and tried to suppress my tears. My parents wanted to throw me out. Where should I go? As if by myself I reached for my mobile phone and dialed Ryous number. Maybe he's still at work or already on his way home.

It rang a few times until he picked up.

"Chigusa, I told you I'd call you later. I'm still at work."

"I know, I know. And I'm sorry to bother you too, but..."

I tried to suppress my sobbing but my boyfriend doesn't miss a thing.

"Chigusa! What happened!"

I couldn't talk. All I could do in that moment was cry.

Ryou waited patiently until I said something again. After almost five minutes I started my sentence.

"I asked my parents about next weekend. "

"They weren't happy, I suppose."

"No.. not at all. They throw me out, Ryou. They said if I want to see my friends then I can stay there the same. Where am I supposed to go? I don't know what to do. "

"Calm down, Chigusa. Why don't you move in with me? I told you that I still have a free room."

"But I don't want to be a burden to you Ryou."

"Dummy! You are not a burden!"

"What about school? Rent? I don't have any.."

"Don't worry, Chigusa. I'm talking to my parents about school. I'm sure something can be done. And at NAB I earn so well that I can feed both of us. You have to improve your grades and I'll help you!"

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes, I am. I'll pick you up Friday. Pack everything you want to take with you. I'm in front of the school in Chiba on Friday to pick you up. After school we go to my place."

"Okay. Thank you, Ryou."

After this sentence we hung up and I let my gaze wander through the room.

**Stella POV**

Somewhere in a large city full of people lives a young student, me. I am Stella and I study Game Design in Berlin. A few weeks ago I met a very nice person in a MMORPG. Her name is Atoli. She is two years younger than me. Online we do a lot together. We write a lot of mails to each other and I know one or two stories from her life. It feels like I've known her for half an eternity. We talk about everything. From the weather to school.

I live in a flat share with my twin brother Alex. He studies business informatics because he wants to work as a software developer.

At home I'm the one who always has to make dinner because my brother can't cook. But he helps me with all my computer stuff so we are even, Despite all the stress I still manage to get straigt A's in University and I'm always on time. I never get in trouble once.

But lets get back to reality.

Like almost everyday I went to the cafeteria at noon. From afar I saw my brother sitting with his friends. Since I am a quite introverted person, I do not have so many friends. It is hard for me to approach people. Online the whole thing is no problem at all but offline...  
I was completely lost in my own thoughts during the break that I didn't even notice that my former best friend came to my table with her new best friend.

She is studying Japanology and History. He studies business administration.  
"Hey Stella, what are you doing today after college. We all want to barbecue in the park, wouldn't you like to come with us? It'll be fun for sure." Marisa asked me.

Funny for her and her friends. I was not welcome and I knew that too. We lived apart and are not the same people we used to be. Admittedly, I still get along very well with her twin sister. Unlike Marisa, her sister has a dream and a goal before her eyes.

She wants to move to her boyfriend in Vienna as soon as she has finished her studies.

Marisa simply dreams of going to Japan. Frankly, I would like to do the same. That's why I decided to go to the games industry. But I am aware of how difficult it is to gain a foothold in this industry and how hard the job is in big companies.

But the question is whether I can find a job there and get a work visa.

With my luck, I would have to marry a Japanese, but that's easier said than done.

In half a year I would travel to Japan for 4 weeks, that would be a start after all.

That's how long I saved up for this trip. Even my brother helped me to make this dream come true.

"Hey, Stella," Chris shouted and shook me out of my thoughts. "Are you coming with me or not?

"Oh... uhm... no. I meet later still with my friend. Online... in [The World]... but they didn't have to know that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

**Ryou POV**

Friday in the morning I left especially early to free my girlfriend from her personal hell. I was more than happy that she would move to Tokyo with me.

I told my supervisor, Reiko Saeki, about the situation yesterday after my phone call with Chigusa and she gave me the week off. She told me that Chigusa should settle into her new environment for the first time and that I should take care of her.

I am more than grateful to Reiko for supporting us and offering her help.

During the relaxed drive, the advantage in the morning is that you can avoid the rush hour and have a free ride on the roads,

I thought up a little plan for today.

Chigusa would have her last school day today and I would both drive her there and pick her up. In the meantime I will use the time to buy some groceries because my fridge was empty.

After about an hour by car I reached her house. Before I rang, I reached for my mobile and called her.

It rang twice before my sleepy girlfriend picked up the phone.

"Yes... " I heard her murmur.

"I'm standing in front of the door," I said in a calm voice.

"What? Already now? What time is it?

"Right around 7:00."

"Oh... okay. I quickly get dressed and pack the last things together. Then I come down. See you soon Ryou!" She said and hung up.

At least she doesn't apologize as often as she used to.

I got out of the car and went to the trunk. Gently I opened the tailgate of the car and looked back at the front door.

A few minutes later the door opened and a young woman with long black hair, wearing her school uniform, stepped out.

She smiled and greeted me stormy with a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here, Ryou!"

I pressed Chigusa firmly against me and stroked her hair.

"I told you, I am always there for you when you need me. Let's get your belongings. Are your parents still in the house?

"No, they went to work half an hour ago."

"Good.

"Follow me, I don't have much to take with me."

I nodded and followed Chigusa silently into her room.

She really hadn't packed much together. A suitcase, a travel bag, a backpack and a laptop bag.

Her school bag was already in her hand.

"I always thought girls needed more than that..." I pointed to her luggage.

"Well, I guess I'm not normal," she said laughing.

"I guess not. I shall greet you dearly from Reiko."

"From Pi? Thank you very much!

"She said if you need anything, let her know. She does everything she can to help us."

My girlfriend was radiant, I seldom saw her smile so honestly.

"Okay, so what's the plan for today?" Chigusa asked while we load her things into the car.

"I'll take you to school later. In that time I'll do some shopping. Is there anything you like to eat? Except beef soup?"

"Did you remember that? Um... no I am not choosy. I am very easy to care for as far as food is concerned.

"Okay. Do you have allergies?

"No. After school we go to your place?"

"Exactly. Don't worry, my parents already know. If they have time, they would like to get to know you.

"Oh okay. "

**Chigusa POV**

From Ryou's stories, I knew that his parents rarely had time and that he had been alone a lot as a child. There was only him and the house staff.

"I'm a little nervous... even though I'm seeing the people from my school for the last time. It's still weird..."

"Don't worry, chigusa. I'll be there today and as soon as there's any trouble I'll be there in a few hours until you leave."

"You are right. I am infinitely grateful to you. You don't even know what that means to me, Ryou."

"I can imagine it."

A little later, my savior dropped me off at school. At 3pm he would pick me up.

With an uncomfortable feeling I entered my high school in Chiba for the last time. My parents had already signed me out on Monday and today I would have to hand in all my books.  
Fortunately the day went without any problems and the time passed quickly. The anticipation of my new life in Tokyo got bigger and bigger. Soon I was able to play online games again without any worries.

When I walked out of the school I walked into, literally, Ahmya.

"Just the brat I was looking for." She said, her friends huddling around me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, completely confused. I let my eyes wander to the side hoping to see Ryou.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" she said, glaring at me.

"I really don't. I need to go now."  
When I was about to leave for the parking lot, their friends Chiyo and Hina grabbed me violently by the arms.

"You ugly brat were looking at my boyfriend!"

"Uhm no. I have a boyfriend myself. Just let me go now."

"You? A nerd like you? Don't make me laugh!"  
I tried to speak a little bit louder.  
"How about you ask him yourself!", I said and heard at the same moment that someone was running towards us.

"Hey, Chigusa. What are you taking so long?" I heard Ryou say in an impatient undertone.

My boyfriend now stood between Ahmya, her friends and me. He looked at us exactly before he spoke.

"Chigusa told me about you. It was nice meeting you, but we have to go now. Let her go!"

With each sentence Ryou became more fearsome. At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind. In front of me stands the well-known PKK Haseo, Terror of Death. And he's protecting me, his girlfriend. Just like in [The World]. He put his arm around my shoulder and we turned around.

"Well, we can't stop you. Though are you sure you should be wasting your time with her?" Ahmya said.

Ryou and I were walking straight to his car when he caught the girls words, and more crucially, processed their vile undertone. I was pulling on his arm now, silently pleading to just let it go.

Of course Ryou turned back, just like I did, and narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"What do you mean by that?"

Hina stepped forward confrontationally. The fact that she was a whole head shorter than Ryou did not seem to disturb her confidence in the least.

"Listen, I'm doing you a favour by telling you this. So maybe you haven't notice yet because you haven't known er as long as we do.."

"What makes you think I don't?"

"We've been in the same class as her for ages. We know everything about this little brat!" Chiyo said.

"And that's not even the point." Ahmya started.

"The point is that we know her in a way you don't. And let me tell you.. Chigusa here... well she's an absolute nutjob. Always has been, and for some reason she's still confused as to why she doesn't fit in anywhere. She might not look like it now, but she won't keep it together for long."

Ryou looked at Ahmya for a moment, incredulously. The other two stood there in silent agreement. Now my boyfriend was looking at me, while I struggled with my tears.

Ryou did take a step forward now, placing himself between me and those girls. "Why would you say that?" He asked, raising his voice for the first time that day.

"I told you. We're doing you a favour by warning you, because you seem like someone who could do better than her. Perhaps we're wrong. So fine, don't believe me. You'll find out yourself sooner or later." Ahmya said while I started sobbing.

"See, there she goes..." Ahmya commented and that was the point of no return for Ryou.

In one motion he grabbed the front of Ahmyas blazer with two hands and hoisted her into the air. She have a short high-pitched yell in surprise. Her school bag fell to the ground. Her feet didn't quite leave the ground, but Ryou had her up high enough to make sure she felt the strain on her neck.

"What the hell?"

"Leave her alone!" Chiyo and Hina said to my boyfriend,

"Let me make you a promise. If we weren't on school grounds, your face would be bleeding and no amount of make-up could make it look presentable then." Ryou said menacingly.

He set her down, but couln't resist giving her a shove. Ahmya stumbled backwards. The other twoe partly caught her, ensuring her back didn't hit the ground.

He turned around to me.

"C'mon Chigusa, Let's not waste any more time here." He said, taking my arm before taking me to his car.

**Ryou POV**

When I was finally sitting in the car with Chigusa, I couldn't help but take a deep breath.

I knew that she was being bullied but I didn't know that the girls would get violent.

"Finally it's over..." she said quietly.

I just hummed.

Slowly I fastened my seat belt and started the car.

"Are you hungry?

"A little..."

"Then we stop on the way and eat something.

"Okay.

She seemed happy and liberated. I hoped that she would have less trouble in the new school, even if it was only for one year. Chigusa once told me that she wanted to study literature.

I wonder if that is still the case.

Halfway we stopped at a rest stop for something to eat, as we both had no breakfast but only a snack for lunch. Chigusa said that she had only eaten one yogurt during her lunch break.

We ordered our food and sat down at a small table. The rest stop was well visited and we were surrounded by many people.

From time to time my girlfriend looked at her mobile phone. I was curious, so I asked her directly.

"Are you waiting for a message?"

"Yes. I met someone in [The World] some time ago and wrote her yesterday that I won't be online again until next week. I gave her my LINE ID yesterday that we could still write."

"Speaking of [The World]... the game is expected to be out in 3-5 months."

Chigusa looked at me in horror.

"What? Why is that?"

"Because of Aida and all the scandals with Sakaki and Ovan."

"Oh... I understand. The reputation of the game has suffered quite a bit."

"That's true. Ovan will soon go to his sister in Germany, too."

"What about Shino? Will she go with him?"

"She has planned to leave Japan in half a year... "

After dinner we drove on to Tokyo. Within the city we needed a good hour to reach my apartment. It was already dawning when I parked the car in the parking lot. We unbuckled and got out. From the trunk I took the suitcase and the travel bag, while Chigusa took her backpack, the small bag and her school bag.

There is an elevator in the house, my apartment is on the 15th floor.

I still had the key in my hand. I skilfully unlocked the apartment door and invited my girlfriend in. The walls were painted in almond colour and the rooms radiated a lot of warmth. Here and there stood a few artificial plants. The kitchen was tiled and the worktop was made of granite, there was also a glass dining table in the middle of the room. In the living room stood a medium sized leather couch, in front of it a walnut brown coffee table and on the wall stood a big living room wall with a big TV. The compartments contained various consoles, DVDs, games and CDs. The two rooms, kitchen and living room, were connected. The whole furnishing was very modern and western. I led Chigusa into an empty room and put her travel bag on the bed and the suitcase next to the wardrobe.

"Here is your room, don't worry mine is right next door. You are welcome to spread out here and furnish as you like".

"Thank you very much for everything, really."

"Nothing to thank. I like to do that for you."

Afterwards I left Chigusa alone in her room, so that she could unpack her things in peace. I sat down on the couch in the living room and played a little with my mobile phone.

**Stella POV**

My friend Atoli couldn't come online for the weekend because she moves in with her boyfriend.

Therefore I decided to use the time a little more sensibly and to practice for the university. It was a bit boring to be alone without doing anything, so I stayed at home.

My twin brother was, like almost every weekend, on the road with his friends.

But a short time later I decided to go online and play a little.

I hadn't found many friends in [The World] yet. I met Atoli by chance.

I played a magician class, my character was a human with long blond hair, blue eyes and a black-blue dress.

She also wore black overknees decorated with flowers and blue boots.

My level wasn't very high yet and I was a little afraid to leave the city because there are a lot of PKer in the dungeons.

Atoli warned me against some. We were often on the road with a friend of hers. His name in the game was Matsu and he used to be a PKer. Today he is taking care of the people. These people are called PKKers.

I looked in my friends list whether he was online, that is partly not so easy because he lives in Japan and I not. We have 8 hours time difference.

But I was lucky and he was online. So I wrote to him right away.

Hey Matsu. Do you feel like running a dungeon with me?

'Hey Lumi. Of course! I invite you into a group!

My username is Luminya, but Matsu even knows my real name.

We even have contact via LINE.

We formed a group and got some more levels so that I finally reached level 50.

When I looked at the clock, it was already far after midnight. So we said goodbye and I slowly went to bed.

**Chigusa POV**

My new room was very nicely furnished. I also liked Ryou's apartment very much. I started to put my things in the closet, put my laptop on the desk and plugged everything in. I let my eyes wander here and there through the room. It was still hard to believe that I was free now. A short knock sounded and my friend entered my room.

"I still have something for you" he said and handed me an envelope.

Asking I took it, opened it and looked what was inside. I took the object out of the envelope. There were three keys with a small pendant that looked like my character Atoli, from "The World".

"Welcome home, Chigusa," he said smiling and I fell around his neck.

"Thank you, Ryou! You don't know what that means to me!

Ryou returned the hug.

After a few minutes we separated from each other and he continued.

"Did you put your things away?"

I nodded.

"Well, let's come to the unpleasant part of living together with me. Rules."

I looked up from my food - Ryou aka Haseo the horror of death had rules?

"First, the laundry is done on Thursdays, do not oversleep that. Second, you can put the dishes in the sink, I'll wash it off and put it away. Third, please don't bring anyone with it, I gave you my OK. Fourth, if you need something or want something, don't hesitate to ask me because I will most likely say yes. Well now tell me yours!"

I nodded and was surprised how loose his rules were. But I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say, so I hesitated.

"Chigusa, from today on you live here as well, this apartment is from now on also your home as it is mine. Of course you have a say, and now let me hear your rules," he assured me.

"Uhm okay...", I thought for a moment, "Be honest with me, be a little more understanding at THIS time and please help me with school because I'm really not good".

Ryou laughed a little and said finally.

"Don't worry Chigusa. I'd love to give you tutoring."

In the evening they decided to watch another film.  
Ryou has changed into black and white boxers and a sleeveless tight shirt, revealing many forms that I would've preferred to ignore . He jumped onto the couch and sat next to me, turned his head.

"Hey, you didn't change? You'd be more comfortable."

"Oh... you're right. I'll be right back. Are you already looking for a movie?"

I asked when I scurried into my room.

There I quickly put on knee-length trousers and a T-shirt.

When I returned to the living room I saw Ryou sitting with the remote control in his hand. He looked through some movies.

Wordlessly I sat down next to him.

"How about this?"

The screen displayed an American movie.

I nodded and sat down with him.

Ryou looked at me for a moment. I had put on comfortable Saxons, a tank top and knee-length trousers.

While we watched the film, we ate potato chips.

However, we were both very tired from today and fell asleep on the sofa.


End file.
